The Boss’s connections with the fashion world. From Santo Versace to the Vice President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the terrible shadow of the 'Ndrangheta falls across Milan Fashion.
Milan - Paolo Martino was arrested a few months ago. According to officers of Milan’s anti-mafia squad, he is a powerful boss of the ‘Ndrangheta, the most dangerous mafia in Italy. The magistrates describe him as a former killer promoted to the top council of Mafia Inc., the biggest of the hoods representing the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria in the city of Milan. He knows better than anyone else all the embarrassing secrets about Mafia infiltration in the northern capital. During his recent interrogation by the public prosecutor in Milan, before the magistrate Giuseppe Gennari, he described his relations with the fashion elite, and especially with the famous businessman Santo Versace, brother of fashion designer Gianni Versace, murdered in Miami in August 1997. The boss issued a shock statement: “Santo Versace saw me grow up,” a phrase that implies close ties between the Versace family and the 'Ndrangheta. This follows the scandal a few years back due to the statements of Giuseppe Di Bella, another boss, who told the judiciary: “Organized crime based in Calabria had Versace in its hands. Ties of friendship, reciprocal assistance and financial aid. They controlled him financially, supplied drugs to the fashion designer’s family and had connections with almost all the local businessmen in Milan. They lent money to practically everybody.” Powerful statements that did a lot of damage to Versace’s image. In recent years the fashion house has been sailing in troubled waters, in a sea of debt caused by poor business management but also a sharp drop in sales due to poor creative direction, gradually leading to the loss of its style and identity. To cover its debts Versace has been forced in recent years to sell most of the family assets, including lavish homes and villas and important works of art. But instead of injecting liquidity and vitality to correct the firm’s tarnished image, the Versace family has had to compromise, creating a fast fashion collection with H&M, a contradictory choice if you think it was Donatella Versace in May 2008 who refused to consider certain kinds of collaborative ventures. “I respect everyone who does it,” she said. “But the reason I didn't do it is because I’ve worked hard to keep the Versace collection in the luxury class. I think putting the Versace line in H&M would confuse the brand.” But note carefully that the Versace-’Ndrangheta axis is not the only one to afflict the obsolete and ailing Milanese fashion system. In fact, during his interrogation, the boss Paolo Martino also named other fashion honchos in Milan, including Saverio Moschillo, Vice President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion (the right arm of the President Mario Boselli). In this case, the Boss told the magistrates, “He has helped me in a lot of ways.”
At this point we at Humor Chic are curious about all this. We’d like to ask some of the interested parties two questions:
At this point we at Humor Chic are curious about all this. We’d like to ask some of the interested parties two questions:
- Mr. Santo Versace, the boss Paolo Martino is considered by the Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate a top figure in the ’Ndrangheta. He told the judges that he saw you grow up. What did he mean? Would you be so good as to explain it to us?
- Mr. Mario Boselli, President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the boss Paolo Martino is considered by the Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate a killer and a boss of the 'Ndrangheta. He told the judges that your Vice President Saverio Moschillo, who replaced the outgoing bankrupt Burani, helped him in many ways. We address the same question to you, since you boast of being the president of an institution that has the responsibility to protect the integrity and image of the Italian fashion system, so to speak: what do you think about it?
- Mr. Vice-President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the boss Paolo Martino, is considered by the Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate a killer and a boss of the 'Ndrangheta. He told the judges that you helped him in many ways. What does he mean. Could you kindly explain it to us?
Will they reply? You be the judge!
- Mr. Mario Boselli, President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the boss Paolo Martino is considered by the Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate a killer and a boss of the 'Ndrangheta. He told the judges that your Vice President Saverio Moschillo, who replaced the outgoing bankrupt Burani, helped him in many ways. We address the same question to you, since you boast of being the president of an institution that has the responsibility to protect the integrity and image of the Italian fashion system, so to speak: what do you think about it?
- Mr. Vice-President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the boss Paolo Martino, is considered by the Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate a killer and a boss of the 'Ndrangheta. He told the judges that you helped him in many ways. What does he mean. Could you kindly explain it to us?
Will they reply? You be the judge!
